Multiple agencies assist, $10,000 reward offered
By Richmond Police Department
On Wednesday, February 10th just prior to 8:30 pm, 17-year-old Antoine Whittley was visiting a friend’s house in the 300 block of Marina Way South. He obtained a ride share to return home in the Point Richmond area. Approximately ten minutes after being picked up by the ride share driver, our investigation revealed that Antoine was last seen on the Richmond/San Rafael Bridge. He has not been seen since then.
Antoine is 5’9” and approximately 130 pounds; he was last seen wearing a black Covid-19 mask, hooded Reebok sweatshirt and black/green pants with an orange/green/gray camouflage stripe on both legs. He was carrying a backpack with personal belongings inside of it.
The City of Richmond Police Department is committed to investigating incidents that occur in our city. We ask that any person, who may have any information related to this crime please contact Detective Kris Palma at (510) 621-1276, email him at kpalma@richmondpd.net or they can contact Richmond’s anonymous tip line at (510) 307-T1PS (8177).
Comments have circulated online indicating that Antoine returned home. As of 11:00 am on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2021, Antoine has not been located and RPD is actively seeking information from anyone who may know his whereabouts.
Comments have also been critical of the rideshare driver and his possible involvement with Antoine’s disappearance. Detectives have interviewed the driver and are confident the driver did not have anything to do with his disappearance. Our investigation also shows that Antoine voluntarily left the rideshare vehicle.
The Richmond Police Marine Patrol Unit has been actively searching the vicinity of the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge for missing 17-year-old Antione Whittley. Allied agencies, which include the Richmond Fire Department, San Rafael Police Department, San Rafael Fire Department, Contra Costa Sheriff’s Office, Marin County Sheriff’s Office, Solano County Sheriff’s Office, CHP Air Support, and the US Coast Guard Air Support have joined in on the search. In a coordinated effort led by Richmond Police Sergeant Joe England, searches of all waterways and shorelines are being conducted. The Solano County Sheriff’s Office has utilized their underwater sonar capabilities in order to search underneath the water. The US Coast Guard and CHP Air Support have been conducting daily fly overs in this vicinity. Richmond Police Officers have also been walking the shorelines and utilizing UAS (Drone) in areas that are hard to get by vessel.
The focus of the search is from the Angel Island area in the SF Bay to the area of East Brothers Island, in the San Pablo Bay. This area is vastly large and numerous miles of shoreline, long wharfs, islands, obstacles in the water, and the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge are being searched on a daily basis. Our goal is to continue daily searches and bring Antione home.
It has not been confirmed if Antione actually went into the water, but Richmond Police Marine Unit want to ensure all areas in the vicinity of the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge have and will be checked. We encourage any boaters in this vicinity to be observant and report any activity to the Richmond Police Department or the US Coast Guard.
$10,000 Reward
As the search continues, we are offering a $10,000 reward for information regarding Antoine Whittley’s whereabouts. If you have information, we encourage you to call Detective K. Palma at (510)-621-1276 or email kpalma@richmondpd.net. Thanks for your help in finding Antoine!